The second hardest thing would be watching my 12 year old daughter fall to her knees as they lowered her mother into the ground to rest.

A heart wrenching vision that will forever be etched in my mind.

Claire was my best friend, she had been since we were barely old enough to talk. I always knew, one day, I would marry her. I think I may have even told her that a few times while we were growing up.

Never did I think I would lose her so suddenly.

I knew at that moment…

Our life would never be the same again…

“I’ve thought about this moment so many times,” she confessed, and I smiled against her lips, immediately remembering her confession at the bar.

“Me too, baby,” I assured her. “You are always on my mind, Amber.”

Our moans and sighs mingled as we frantically continued to undress, eager to feel one another without restriction.

Hovering over her now-naked body, I couldn’t help myself from taking a moment to appreciate her beauty. Her light brown hair fanned out over the light color of the pillow, and her perfect body beneath me begged to be touched.

I dipped my head and traced her nipple with my tongue before pulling it into my mouth and sucking softly. Her body instinctively arched toward my lips, and she combed her fingers through my hair as she moaned, pressing her breast closer to my hungry mouth. I continued to suck gently before moving to the other side to show it equal attention.

The only item of clothing still separating us were my boxers, and even they couldn’t hide how excited her body was. I could feel her heat against me as I thrust my hips forward and hit the spot that drove her wild.

“I need you, Ryan. God, I want you,” she whispered against my ear, and I removed my lips from her breast and looked up at her hungry eyes with a grin. Slowly I kissed my way up her chest and neck and over her jaw until I reached her lips once more.

Our tongues tangled as we explored each other’s mouths. “I want you too,” I confessed. “More than anything else, I want this.” We were both breathing heavily, and my heart was rapidly beating as I continued to roam my hands over her body.

Amber lifted her hips and rubbed herself against me, begging me for more without saying the words.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was bury my wife.The second-hardest thing would be watching my twelve-year-old daughter fall to her knees as the preacher uttered his final words of comfort before her mother’s casket was slowly lowered into the grave. It finalized the fact that the woman we loved dearly was no longer within our reach. We would no longer be blessed by her smile or warmed by her words.It was the most heart-wrenching sight, one that will forever be etched in my mind and which left a void in me I was positive would never be filled. It changed the man I thought I was and made me realize that loving someone with your entire heart didn’t ensure they would always be with you. There was no way to predict your fate.Claire was my best friend; she had been since we were barely old enough to talk. I always knew I would one day marry her. I may have even told her so a few times while we were growing up. Even my brother, Noah, who is nearly a year younger than me, thought he would marry her. She was the perfect girl and had every man in Livingston, Montana, mesmerized by her looks and her personality. But she and I were meant to be.I never thought I would lose her so suddenly. Now I was left struggling to find the strength I needed to push forward without her in my life. I couldn’t remember a day she wasn’t by my side, and now she was gone forever.I sat in the chair looking at the deep, freshly dug grave before me, consumed by a feeling of emptiness. The air felt thick as it filtered into my lungs, making me feel like I was being suffocated. The anxiety of my loss was slowly overtaking me as I tried hard to fight the urge to break down and just give up.“Daddy.”Olivia’s sweet whisper pulled me from my daze, and I looked deep into her red, swollen eyes. I felt as if I had just been punched in the gut. There stood my little girl, looking broken and lost.“I miss her already,” she said, her soft voice cracking.

C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.